Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2025
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Simulation, Fabrication and Characterization of THz Metamaterial Absorbers
Published on: December 27, 2012
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Transparent spacecraft smart thermal control device based on VO2 and hyperbolic metamaterials
Biyuan Wu1,2,3, Derui Zhang1,2,3, Cunhai Wang4
1Shandong Institute of Advanced Technology, Jinan 250100, Shandong, P. R. China. xiaohu.wu@iat.cn.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|April 25, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed a transparent smart radiation device (TSRD) for spacecraft. This device uses vanadium dioxide and a hyperbolic metamaterial to control heat, offering high visible light transmission and adjustable infrared emission.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Optics
- Aerospace Engineering
Background:
- Spacecraft demand advanced thermal control to withstand extreme temperatures.
- Existing solutions often compromise transparency or adaptability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a novel transparent smart radiation device (TSRD) for spacecraft thermal management.
- To leverage hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) and vanadium dioxide (VO2) for tunable radiative properties.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a TSRD integrating VO2 phase change material with an HMM structure.
- Utilizing the topological transition of HMM for selective spectral control.
- Incorporating a SiO2 dielectric layer to induce Fabry-Pérot (FP) resonance with VO2.
Main Results:
- Simultaneous high visible transmission (up to 0.7) and infrared reflection achieved.
- Solar absorption reduced to 0.25.
- Emission modulation reached 0.44, enhanced by FP resonance.
- The device demonstrated tunable infrared emission and high visible transparency.
Conclusions:
- The TSRD effectively combines variable infrared emission, high visible transparency, and low solar absorption.
- HMMs enable high transparency, overcoming limitations of traditional metal reflectors.
- FP resonance formation is crucial for achieving significant emission modulation.
- This technology offers a promising new direction for spacecraft thermal control and solar panel applications.
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